Northside Elementary School
PennsylvaniaThe Northside Elementary School has served its Brookville, Pennsylvania Community since 1939. While Northside Elementary School has never been closed, the threat of closure was on the minds of community members. The discussion initially centered on finding a different location for a new elementary school. At first, state legislation stated that the State Board of Education would not pay for the rehabilitation of Northside, but only for the construction of a new school building. However, Northside Elementary School employees, community members, the Brookville School District and a team of experienced architects rallied behind the school, proving that older school buildings that met fire code requirements actually had better safety records than new schools, and was successful in changing state legislation. As a result, money was granted for the rehabilitation project.
Prior to the renovation initiative, the exterior of the school building was in fine condition. There was no need for new windows. The school`s slate roof needed only minor repairs, not replacement. The biggest exterior undertaking was to fix the prominent clock tower that had been broken for almost twenty years. The entire interior was made handicapped accessible, which included the installation of an elevator. There was also minor asbestos and lead paint abatement done in the initial stages of the renovation work.
Today, this modernized school building continues to serve its neighborhood. The school even won 1st place in the National Trust for Historic Preservation`s 2001 poster contest on restoring, renewing and rediscovering historic neighborhood schools. The new guidelines which were established as a result of Northside Elementary School have encouraged other school districts to continue using historic school buildings.
Date of Construction: 1939
Date of Renovation: 1998
Cost of Renovation: $2,140,000
For more information contact:
Ms. Grace Oh
Project Manager
Hayes Large Architects
521 E. Beaver Avenue
State College, Pennsylvania 16801-5236
www.hayeslarge.com
Dr. David Monsour
Superintendent
Brookville School District
265 Barnett Street
Brookville, Pennsylvania 15825
